Why D-backs sought Marte long before he was All-Star caliber

PHOENIX -- When Mike Hazen took over as D-backs general manager on Oct. 16, 2016, the D-backs were coming off a season in which they lost 93 games and fired both GM Dave Stewart and manager Chip Hale.

In assessing his new team, Hazen felt the veteran-laden club needed another starting pitcher, and he engaged Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto in talks to try and acquire a young pitcher in Taijuan Walker.

Dipoto had interest in veteran infielder Jean Segura, who was coming off the best season of his career, collecting a league-leading 203 hits while compiling a 122 OPS+; outfielder Mitch Haniger, who had been named the D-backs’ organizational player of the year; and left-handed reliever Zac Curtis.

While Walker was the focus of the deal for the D-backs, Hazen had his eyes on one more player -- Ketel Marte.

At the time, Marte was not the same player as the one who started the 2024 All-Star Game for the National League at second base. He was coming off his age-22 season, having slashed .259/.287/.323 with just a 68 OPS+.

The D-backs, though, saw the potential there. Hazen has long believed that if you want to get a player with the kind of upside of Marte, you have to take the risk of trading for him before he’s fully established himself.

“We wouldn't have done the deal without Ketel,” Hazen said. “You know, our Minor League system at the time wasn't very good, and he had just broken into the big leagues the year before, and we felt like the athleticism and the middle-of-the-diamond player that Ketel could be we didn't have a lot of, obviously. Sometimes you’ve got to jump in a little early, and thankfully, we did. Our scouts did a good job identifying him, and we were able to get him. I think it’s a trade that has actually worked out for both teams.”

Walker received most of the headlines when the trade was made, but Hazen continued to talk about the fact that he thought Marte could one day be a superstar.

That seemed like bold talk, especially when Marte did not make the team out of Spring Training, but the D-backs were surprisingly competitive in 2017. When they lost shortstops Nick Ahmed and Chris Owings to injuries, Marte came up and helped fill the void as Arizona went on to clinch an NL Wild Card berth.

Marte hit .260/.345/.395 with an OPS+ of 88 in 73 games for the D-backs in 2017. Much like when he traded for Marte before he was an established big leaguer, Hazen knew that his one opportunity to keep a player long term who could be a superstar would be to sign him to a contract extension early.

So during Spring Training in 2018, the D-backs inked Marte to a five-year, $24 million extension that also included a pair of club options for ‘23 and ‘24.

Once again, Hazen had bet on Marte’s upside.

“His skill set is pretty rare in the game,” Hazen said. “I mean, being a switch-hitter who’s proficient [from] both sides, plays in the middle of the diamond, like you just don't run across players like that all that often. There's only so many players that are going to be that star-caliber guy that you're going to have. I think for as long as you're doing these jobs, you're only going to run into a handful of them. And we were lucky to get him when we did.”

Marte finished fourth in NL MVP Award voting in 2019, and he put together a 143 OPS+ in ‘21 while being limited to just 90 games due to injury.

By Marte’s standards, 2022 was a bit of a down year, with a 105 OPS+. But again, Hazen didn’t let that stop him from signing Marte to another contract extension in Spring Training in ‘23, this one a five-year, $76 million deal that includes a club option for ‘28.

The D-backs were rewarded when Marte put together another excellent season in 2023, which included being named MVP of the NL Championship Series -- and now, a ‘24 All-Star.

“It's gratifying to see that he's getting some of the recognition that he's deserved for a while,” Hazen said.